Weaver, now a keeper coach at Sheffield Wednesday, played 207 times for City between 1998 and 2007 and famously was the penalty shoot-out hero against Gillingham in 1999.
He believes Ederson to be the pioneer of a new generation of talented goalkeepers who can do much more than save shots.
READ: Foden shines but England exit...
“Goalkeeping since I played has evolved and I’ve only been retired five years!” smiled Weaver.
“It’s changed in the last two years. I think the way Ederson plays, he is taking goalkeeping to a new level.
“I call it ‘goalkeeping on the edge’ because he plays so advanced, the way the players trust him with the ball. Ederson gives it them under pressure they use him as an outfield player.
“He’s as good as I’ve seen with the ball at his feet, but he’s also very good at making saves. He doesn’t have many saves to make, but when he’s called to action, he makes them and for me he’s the best goalkeeper in the league.
“He’s young and he’s tied to the club for 5 or 6 years so I’m sure there are many good seasons to come from Ederson.”
Weaver believes a new generation of keepers is on the horizon and says every young goalie wants to play like Ederson or Liverpool’s Alisson Becker.
“I think when you look at young goalkeepers, it’s the way everything’s moving forward - even if you look at England in the World Cup, they play from the back,” he said.
“You have City and Liverpool at the top that’s the way they play, all the top teams play like that, it’s the way football is going.
“All young goalkeepers want to be like Ederson or Allison or Neuer or whoever it is.
“It’s the younger goalkeepers getting taught that way - they still get a lot of glovework, but they’re joining the outfield sessions a lot with the players.
“I’m sure Ederson could play left-back for City - he’s that good - so goalkeeping has changed a large amount in a relatively short space of time.”
